Bachelor of Paramedicine

This degree prepares students for employment as paramedics. Paramedics provide health care for individuals experiencing a vast array of emergency and health related events in the community. Paramedics initiate care and determine the appropriate referral of patients to enable their continuing healthcare needs. A paramedic is also required to liaise with a range of professionals to facilitate appropriate healthcare needs of persons in the community.

Paramedics must be able to think clearly, act quickly, possess a calm manner and have the ability to reassure patients and handle stressful situations. They must have personal integrity and be able to work with people from many different backgrounds. A paramedic responds to both emergency and non-emergency healthcare and transport needs. A paramedic is also required to be able to respond to major incidents in a range of settings within a multidisciplinary emergency healthcare system.

Paramedics are predominantly employed by government ambulance services while a range of opportunities continue to develop in the non-emergency patient transport sector and a wide range of industry based employers.

The Bachelor of Paramedicine is a three-year full-time or six-year part-time degree that provides the educational foundation required for beginning practice as a paramedic. The course is based at Peninsula campus.

This demanding and vocationally oriented course will supply you with the skills to assess life-threatening situations, provide emergency care and potentially save lives.

You will learn about the role of paramedics in the community and undertake practical and highly focused studies in trauma conditions, respiratory conditions, cardiovascular conditions, mental health conditions, complex medical conditions and maternal and neonatal health. You will also gain core knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pharmacotherapy, as well as the role of paramedics in practice, research, education and leadership.

On completion of the Bachelor of Paramedicine, you will have the knowledge and practical advanced life support skills that are required to assess and care for patients with out-of-hospital acute emergencies and chronic conditions. You will have acquired the clinical reasoning and decision-making skills required to assess and treat a wide variety of patients in various settings. You will also gain a professional knowledge of the Australian health care system, health across the lifespan, disease prevention, health promotion, research methods and principles of evidence-based practice as they relate to paramedic practice.